A proceeding to probate a will was brought in Ulster County New York before Surrogate Sarah McGinty. The son who died was 48 years old. The attesting witnesses to the will were the chief beneficiaries of the will. Beneficiaries to a will cannot act as witnesses to the will. Therefore, under New York State law the bequests left to these 2 individuals were invalidated. This caused the estate of the decedent worth approximately $1 million to pass through intestacy (as if the decedent died without a will). The decedent’s mother therefore was the only person who would inherit from her son’s estate.
Second Son Claimed Mother Abandoned Her Children
Another son of the mother claimed his mother abandoned her children and therefore should be barred from inheriting under the theory of parental disqualification, pursuant to the New York States Powers and Trusts Law. This son, Michael, filed a petition in the Surrogate’s Court of Ulster County. He asked for declaratory relief claiming he and his siblings should qualify as distributees and inherit the portion of the estate passing under intestacy. He made the claim that he and his brothers and sisters should inherit instead of their mother.
The Court’s Decision
The Judge’s decision denied the son’s application to disqualify his mother on the basis of abandonment and on the basis of failure to support the children. She found the mother was qualified to inherit from her son in intestacy. Judge McGinty noted the Catholic Welfare Bureau never gave up on the mother. She also never gave up on her son. The mother was not obligated to contribute to the financial support of her son. The Judge found the mother did not have the ability to contribute to her son’s support.
Conclusion
In the State of New York there are very specific rules with regard to the preparation, execution and attestation to wills. Individuals who are beneficiaries of a will cannot be witnesses to the execution of a will. This disqualifies them from inheriting. For this reason and many other reasons a will should only be prepared by attorneys with experience in handling estate matters. In this case there was a $1 million estate that the two individuals who acted as attesting witnesses were barred from inheriting.
Elliot S. Schlissel, Esq. is the managing partner of Schlissel DeCorpo LLP. He has been writing wills and representing clients in estate matters, including but not limited to probate proceedings for more than 45 years. He can be reached for a free consultation at 800-344-6431 or e-mailed at Elliot@sdnylaw.com.
